Bendaoud good in goal for WW-PS boys’ soccer
By: Bob Nuse
A good defense can often make a goalkeeper look pretty good.
At the same time, a good goalkeeper can also make a defense look good.
In the case of the West Windsor-Plainsboro South High boys’ soccer team, the combination of a good defense and a good goalie has helped make the whole Pirate team look good.
With a solid defense in front of him, WW-P South goalie Faouzi Bendaoud showed just how good the Pirate defense could be as he posted a pair of shutouts in state tournament play last week.
First, Bendaoud made eight saves in goal as South opened play in the Central Jersey Group IV tournament with a 1-0 win over Old Bridge. Two days later he made nine saves in goal as the Pirates knocked off top-seeded Hunterdon Central, 2-0, to reach the CJ IV semifinals.
"It puts a lot less stress on me with the defense that we have," said Bendaoud, who spent most of the season alternating in goal with freshman Phil Marfuggi before taking over the role full-time just before the start of the state tournament. "During a game a goalie has to make a lot of important decisions. If you make the wrong decision, the ball is in the back of the net. So you have to make the right decision.
"Having a good defense means less decisions you have to make and that takes off a lot of the pressure."
Last week Bendaoud made plenty of good decisions, which helped the team post a pair of impressive wins.
Faouzi Bendaoud is the Gold’s Gym/Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
"I think that whole group that we have in the back works very well together, which is what makes them so effective," WW-P South coach Brian Welsh said. "Faouzi has done a very good job, but so has that whole group in front of him. Together they’ve done a very good job for us."
The South defense had been doing a great job all season, even before Bendaoud took over the job full-time. The shutout against Hunterdon Central was the Pirates’ ninth of the season, most of which were a combined effort between Bendaoud and Marfuggi.
And as well as Bendaoud has played over the past week, he knows a lot of the credit for his success goes to the guys playing right in front of him.
"They never give up," said the senior, who didn’t move into the goal until his freshman year of high school. "Most guys wouldn’t even make an attempt to chase down a person once they got past them. But our defense, even if they get knocked to the ground, they get right back up on their feet and go after the guy. It’s just like a goalie after he makes a reaction save and has to get right back up and be ready for the rebound."
For Bendaoud, the chance to play goalie full-time through the state tournament run has been a great way to cap off his career. He spent last year as a backup to Brad Kirkpatrick after making great strides since moving into the goal four years ago.
"I was a field player until my freshman year of high school and then I decided to be a goalie," Bendaoud said. "I like making the diving saves. Coach Kenny (Yaros) really helped me a lot and so did Brad. In the spring during school we would come out after school was over and work on getting ready for the season. Brad really helped me with a lot of tips."
For a former field player, Bendaoud has certainly turned himself into quite a goalie. And thoughts of being back out on the field rarely enter his mind.
"Occasionally I’ll think about it," he said. "But I’ve been playing in goal for four years and I like the excitement of saving the ball. So I’m happy playing goalie."
And the Pirates are happy to have him there.